First Look: The Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Dragon
Chinese New Year 2024 will fall on Saturday, the 10th of February, heralding the Year of the Dragon. The dragon holds a special place in Chinese culture, representing power, strength, and good fortune, and brands have started to announce their dragon-themed watches. Among these, Chopard had just unveiled the latest addition to its Chinese Zodiac collection – an L.U.C XP featuring a dial adorned with a captivating dragon motif meticulously crafted in Urushi lacquer. The superb dial of this limited-edition watch is handcrafted in Japan by Minori Koizumi, a craftsman specialising in the delicate Maki-e technique. Each dial requires no fewer than 20 hours of meticulous work. Rendered in exquisite detail, the dragon gracefully adorns the dial. Several layers of Urushi lacquer are applied and decorated with paint, gold flakes and mother-of-pearl inlays. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Chopard Redlines with the New Superfast Collection - Monochrome Watches
Anyone who has hit the RPM limiter while pressed back into a bucket seat, anyone who has done the pedal dance of heel and toe, anyone who snapped the rear end, Z rated tires screaming and the muffler thundering, anyone who has done these things knows what it means to go fast.Chopard knows what it means to go Superfast. As ubiquitous as racing legends Prost, Senna, or Schumacher are to the sport of Formula One, Chopard aspires to be to auto racing in general and takes top spot on the podium, champagne spewing in victory as they introduce a new Classic Racing line with three models, the Superfast Auto, Chrono and Power Control. Sleek, sophisticated and sporty, the Superfast line recalls motorsports at every turn (see our weekly watch photo). Made to dominate Spa-Francorchamps' Eau Rouge turn in the rain or attend such daydreams, the Superfast watches unite the thrill of racing with the art of horology. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Hublot Classic Fusion Italia Independent (Authentic Fabric Dials & Straps)
With Hublot, the word Fusion is not just the name of a watch. It is much more than that. it is a motto, a proper guideline for the design. Fusion refers to the concept of mixing materials, something that has always been in the DNA of the bold manufacture. Fusion of gold and ceramic, fusion of metals and rubber, fusion of gold and patinated leather, fusion of everything that you can imagine and more… Hublot dares to integrate in watches materials that you would have never thought about. And they did it again, with the?Hublot Classic Fusion Italia Independent, using authentic fabric dials & straps, the result of a collaboration with the highly creative?enfant terrible?Lapo Elkann.This is not the first time that these two terrible children of the luxury industry do team up to create watches. Since 2014, two collections have been born from the partnership between Hublot, Italia Independent and Lapo Elkann. Although both of the previous collections were based on the bold, masculin

Interview: In Conversation with Benoit de Clerck, The New CEO of Zenith
Earlier this month, LVMH, the French luxury powerhouse, reorganized the management of its watch division. Frederic Arnault was named CEO of LVMH Watches – overseeing TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith – Julien Tornare subsequently took over as CEO of TAG Heuer while a former Richemont executive, Benoit de Clerck, was recruited to run Zenith. Just ahead of the LVMH Watch Week, we had the opportunity to sit down with the new CEO of Zenith in Geneva.Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME – Benoit, thanks for having us. What is your background, and what brought you to the head of Zenith? Ad - Scroll to continue with article Benoit de Clerck, CEO of Zenith – I have been versed in the watch industry for the past 25 years. My journey began with TAG Heuer when I opened their office in the Middle East before its acquisition by LVMH. Subsequently, I joined Richemont w

Spotted - The IWC Pilot's Watches SFTI of Top Gun: Maverick
Recently, we were able to confirm what was the watch worn by Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, the 2022 blockbuster and sequel to the cult 1986 movie. And yes, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is back to action with the (almost) same Valjoux-powered black PVD-coated Porsche Design x Orfina Chronograph – to be fully accurate, it is not the same watch as worn in the 1986 movie, but one in a much better condition. Pretty cool, pretty accurate too. But there is much more to Top Gun: Maverick when it comes to watches… Jennifer Connelly for instance wears a vintage Explorer 1016. And then, there are the young wolves, the recruited pilots to train at Top Gun… And to make it very accurate indeed, they all wear IWC Pilot’s Watches SFTI models, the same “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” watches that are?only available to instructors and students in real life.?Everybody passionate about fighter jets and movies related to this will tell you that the origina